Business, philanthropy and art

How Angelina Boughanem (BSBA Management ’26, Art History ’26, MS Marketing ’27) is combining her passions to strengthen communities.

For Angelina Boughanem (BSBA Management ’26, Art History ’26, MS Marketing ’27), business and art have never lived in separate spheres, and neither has service. Instead, she has spent her time at UF weaving all three into a unified mission: using administrative and creative skills to strengthen communities.

“While I plan to remain open to various industries to expand my skills and experiences, I aspire to make helpful and impactful contributions to my community with my future work,” she said.

The University of Florida’s chapter of Circle K International was the first place Boughanem took the lead in organizing volunteer and philanthropy efforts.

In the spring 2025 semester, she spent time organizing over 20 events focused on charitable giving and community service to support the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Along with her co-chair, Boughanem raised over $1,300 in just four months.

In Circle K International, she has also organized two 12-hour long philanthropy-focused events with nearly 50 attendees each from the University of Florida, Santa Fe College, University of Central Florida and Florida Gulf Coast University.

She now serves as the organization’s childhood development service chair, where she coordinates volunteer opportunities weekly for 40 members.

“[Through Circle K International, I’ve grown to] understand the strategy and passion it takes to work with charitable giving,” she explained.

In addition to her passion for nonprofit work, her passion for art has been at the center of her focus.

“[My experience in Circle K International] directly prepared me for my Development Communications Internship at the Harn Museum of Art, where my department worked directly with combining the passion of generous donors with the objectives of the museum,” she said.

“I recognize art to be a vital force for society, not only for individual expressions of identity but as larger reflections of culture that allow for dialogue and reflection.”

With this perspective, Boughanem took the lead in organizing and curating an exhibition in Library West focused on Middle Eastern Artists at UF with the art club Common Craft.

 “By taking on the responsibility for the planning of exhibitions within campus locations, local artists are able to be featured in more accessible exhibitions and the community is able to have more approachable experiences with art,” she explained “As a second-generation [Lebanese student], I aimed to use this opportunity to elevate the diverse spectrum of Middle Eastern cultures that do not often receive public attention.”

With passions for art and communal impact, Boughanem sees business as the driving force to make change.

“From my professional and extracurricular activities, the societal impacts I have been able to make and assist with were dependent on business administration or the strategic knowledge that comes from education of business practice,” she explained. “Personally, I have used tools and skills I learned from my business degree related to marketing, communication, analytics and strategy to successfully plan and execute social causes such as fundraising for CKI philanthropy and supporting cultural dialogue through art exhibitions.”

She urges her ambitious peers to be intentional about their extracurricular involvement.

“My path in bringing unlikely career focuses together did seem unattainable at first, [but] I made sure to be intentional in taking on roles and projects that built upon my passions and missions.”